


I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love Tonight

by DisturbingBeauty



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Angst, Adrien Has a Crush on Marinette, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Do I Ever Write Happy Endings?, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Jealous Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Angst, Minor Chat Noir, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-02 12:10:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8666887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisturbingBeauty/pseuds/DisturbingBeauty
Summary: He knows he wasn't supposed to, and yet he did.Now the rain was deafening around them and her silence was making it hard to think.





	1. I'm Sorry, But I Fell In Love Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Is There Somewhere by Halsey

Adrien held the umbrella carefully, his hand tight in efforts to keep it at a steady angle to keep them both dry, or the very least, her. She hadn't quite told him what's wrong, he hadn't quite asked, but both had a mutual understanding that neither wanted to go home. So she managed to guide them to a a book store, where they made themselves comfortable in the chairs at the teen section. Her blue eyes avoided looking at him, making the air charge with awkwardness, regardless of the familiarity of the other. Her sniffling came to a stop along with the tears eventually, but the girl was nowhere near her normal quirky self. She seemed to be a mere shell of herself, which was awkward, because he knew that she was fine when he was at her house a mere hour ago. So what caused the sudden change.

Had he done something wrong earlier, as him, as Chat, by going to see her? This one of many times Adrien wished he hadn't learned all he knew from anime and actually had some experience in the women department, because now he was clueless.

Their night was more or less like usual, they had watched movies, before she got flustered at the scenes, and asked him a few questions, most of which he avoided due to the personal level, or provided such vague answers. She thought about it for a moment, before saying that she was tired and had a test tomorrow. Yet, when he transformed back to the blonde he was now, he saw her crying, unaware of the rain as she walked from the bakery to somewhere, anywhere it looked like. Then the rain came, and Adrien ran inside a convenience store and bought a cheap, plastic, umbrella to protect himself. Then he rushed out to find the girl, worried for her well being.

"I thought he could choose me for once." Marinette spoke, before a bitter laugh broke free, "pretty stupid, huh? I'm not better than her. That doesn't make sense to you, though, does it?"

No, it didn't, but in a few seconds, he had managed to piece together what she said.

She had been rejected, a fact that made his heart race and plummet at the same time. She liked someone else, but he didn't see the amazing girl that Adrien did, apparently. Because that's what Adrien found out when he went to visit her tonight as his alter ego, that he did, in fact, at some point fall in love with fashion designer who spent the last half an hour crying.

"Mari, it'll be okay." He responded, his arm wrapped protectively around the girl. Her wiped tears away the wetness from left over tears on her face. "I know, Adrien, but you don't get it. It'll be okay but it'll happen again. There was someone before him and then there was him, and I just want to be enough, but she's more than enough." The girl was on the brink of tears again, something he wasn't use to seeing was her look so vulnerable.

"Come on, Marinette, let's get out of here, the rain is calming now that it's not storming." He says, helping her to her feet. As they walked out, he opened the umbrella, and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist.

"I'm okay, Adrien, really, I'm okay. I know someday, someone will choose me." She made a sad, small smile, and shrugged, "And I'll be content whenever that day is."

He had to fall in love tonight, with the most beautiful, kind, unobtainable girl in his world. Her blue eyes seemed to stare into his soul, and reminded him of feeling protected. He knows he wasn't supposed to, and yet he did. "I'd choose you any day you'd like, Marinette, I just wish you'd consider me as an option." He whispered, and she heard. Now the rain was deafening around them and her silence was making it hard to think.

 

* * *

 

"You were an option, Adrien, and you'd still be one. But I can't right now, not when I want to kiss you, knowing I'd be thinking of him."


	2. You're Looking Like You Fell In Love Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She isn't particularly a damsel in distress, but everyone needs a little saving once in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a prequel to the last part, meaning that this happened at least 2 weeks before the last chapter, I know that's confusing, but you have to remember that or else you will be confused.

The dark haired girl found herself staying up late for a certain black cat to come, something she doesn't mind because it's nice to know Chat as Marinette, not just a spotted heroine who attempts to impress daily. She finds that as herself, he talks a little more, flirts a little more, and says more pick-up lines than imagined possible. He makes her laugh, though, something she appreciates after a long, bad day. His company makes her happy, even though she shows a distaste for his lack of filter, she makes sure he knows it by bringing leftovers from the bakery, fetching hot chocolate, sitting with him on the balcony, and letting him confide in her whenever he needs.

So in short, they were best friends, and yet that thought made the blue eyed girl sigh in defeat, fearing that she'd never amount to more than just that in his mind, despite the fact that she tells herself that she is happy as long as she has a spot in his heart.

Often she has thoughts like these, where she finds herself wishing to be more than a friend to him, but never wonders long enough to figure out exactly what she longed to be in his eyes. She pushes the thoughts to the back of her mind, where she'll forget them as long as he's near to keep her mind occupied on storing away loose information he manages to slip unknowingly. She likes random facts that he throws out, the ones she can smile about to herself later or that she'll be reminded of. Things he finds funny, weird, idiotic, and more. They all are in her brain, so much that she'd win at Chat Noir trivia if it ever existed.

He's careful, though, when he notices that her question tip-toe the line to personal, daring to throw one his way before his answers turned vague. She wishes he was more open, though he's only following her, Ladybug's, rule. It is mandatory that their identities remain secret, even someone knowing that he visits her every night is at a constant risk of exposure

Tonight, is one of those nights, where Marinette is not herself. She climbs the stairs, finding her sadness to stem from the fact that Chat hadn't visited her yesterday, and Adrien wasn't at school yesterday, and she assumes Chat won't be visiting her tonight, because he always comes at 10 to ensure he won't get caught sneaking out, and it's 1 in the morning. 

Reaching her balcony, she sit on the rail, scrolling through pictures of the two of them. That's when she notices something strange, her smile grows bigger, to the point where she looks a bit goofy, and her eyes always seem to be sneaking glances at the hero who was always smiling and looking at the camera or at her. There's one where he has the most mischievous smile and she's blushing. Another where she's playful glaring at him while he's pretending to be innocent. Trying to remember what, she just rolls her eyes as she scrolls and sees a three second video. She presses play, her phone focused on the hero in skintight leather and kitten ears.

"Princess, I love you!" He chuckles, closing his eyes as she snatches the phone back in the video. Then the video ends, and she feels her heart race as she stares at pictures of the cat.

"I love you, too, kitty." She whispers, her eyes wide.

She did not just say that.

"Say what?" A voice joined in, causing the girl to jump and, as she fell off the rail of the three story building, shriek.

She clenched her eyes shut, knowing Tikki was sleeping next to her pillow, hidden from sight underneath the blanket. The ground was fast approaching, and she couldn't help but feel bitter. This is how she would die, due to her clumsy nature not by fighting an akuma or Hawkmoth. An arm wrapped around her waist, and when she opened her eyes, she was going up instead of down. When her feet touched the balcony floor, the hero set her down, a worried expression on his. She felt the need to get defensive, but instead she nodded, thankful he was there to help her. She isn't particularly a damsel in distress, but everyone needs saving every once in a while. He saves her, Ladybug, all the time.

She stared up at him, her blue eyes easily getting lost in his green ones. She wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged him. He tensed, before his arms wrapped around her waist, and buried her nose in his neck, inhaling his scent as it engulfed her, covering her in his cologne. "Thank you, Chat, for everything."

* * *

 

Marinette stiffened, broke away from him and tugged at the hem of her shirt, "I mean, uh, thank you for not letting me die. You're my hero. Uh-not my hero, but you're everyone's hero, but uh, yeah, you saved me so this time, you're my hero. Not that you belong to me!"

The boy shook his head, and patted Marinette's head twice, before he laughed. Getting down on one knee, he took her hand and kissed it, glancing up at her, "It was my honor, princess. You look cute, but you're not smart, Mari. Do you really think I wouldn't risk my life before you even had to ponder that you'd get hurt. That hurts, love."

"Shut up." She said, rolling her eyes, as her heart raced and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Marinette made a mistake, because he would never look at her the same way he looks at her alter ego. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original summary was, "She'd listen to his sins all day, if he let her be one of them."  
> Which basically is great for some smut in the unrequited love category, but I'm not sure if I'd write it.


	3. Can We Pretend Like We're In Love?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't mind, take your time

He understands her words, though they are stabbing his heart, cutting it open and his mind is screaming to take a chance because she may just need a little time. So he makes a decision that he might regret. He leans down, close to her face, his lips hovering over hers. His green eyes can see the nerves in her eyes and the anticipation. His own resistance to capture and claim them as his was fading fast.

“I’ll wait, okay? Take your time, and just make sure he knows what he’s missing because someone else knows he's missing something amazing.” His breath hit hers, and her slightly closed eyes opened, and she blushed red. Her eyes seemed to be unable to leave his, not that he minded, he found them to be as beautiful as the girl who owned them. He broke the staring contest and pressed his lips to her forehead, happy to be at least two inches taller than her.

Even though he knows he’d be partially content to let her kiss him until her lips are swollen and her eyes are tired, he also knows that he’d go home, his heart weighed down impossibly. If he kissed her now, there’d be no going back from them, no going back from an empty idea of in time. She doesn’t need to pretend in order to let him down easily. He can see that her eyes are filled with guilt. And he understands.

“Thank you, Adrien.” She whispers, her voice low. She leans up, and kisses his cheek, “I can’t promise you my heart, but I can promise I will never forget you.”

And he walks her home, a small smile on his face as the rain poured down. They were safe, under the shelter, just the two of them. If someone happened to walk by, they would’ve guessed they were a couple by their body language. She leaned into him, happy for his body heat, and he stole glimpses of her. Sometimes, they would catch each other when they went to sneak a glance.

In those moments, her eyes flashed with curiosity, before she ducked her head.  He wonders what’s going on in her pretty little mind.

They make it to her bakery, and she looks up in longing for a certain black cat to be up on her balcony. She has everything she needs in Adrien, everything she could want, all she has to do is let go and she knows he’ll catch her.  Chat Noir is not up there waiting for her, and she wonders briefly what will happen if she turns around and presses her lips against Adrien’s. The thought is tempting, but fleeting. Instead, she wants it to be real, not a passing one to take her mind off of Chat. She waves goodbye and disappears inside the bakery.

And she runs, up to her room, and slams the door. She turns around, prepare to go to bed but a voice interrupts her.

 

* * *

 

“Hello,  Princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe this is the end? I know it was only like 3 chapters, but I poured a little of my angst and feels into these little snippets. I also suck so bad at writing Adrien. 
> 
> Until next time, my buggles.

**Author's Note:**

> {Not Guaranteed} Marinette's Prequel and Adrien's Sequel  
> Marinette's Prequel: "You're Looking Like You Fell In Love Tonight"  
> Adrien's Sequel: "Can We Pretend Like We're In Love Tonight?"  
> Which would make this the "I Didn't Mean To Fall In Love Tonight" Series. 
> 
> In case you didn't realize, Marinette fell for Chat during their midnight chats (I couldn't help myself) and she just wanted him to like the clumsy fashion designer as much as he liked the spotted heroine.
> 
> Adrien had fallen for her too, but hadn't felt comfortable enough to tell her about his private life due to his thinking that she didn't like his civilian self, and doesn't realize that she fell for both him the model and the cat punny hero. So it's classic Marichat with mostly Adrienette.


End file.
